Warning: Possible reference to spoilers for those who haven't read the manga
Shinobu was lost, again.
To think that during her second trip to Tokyo she would have gotten the initiative to get a map or something. But this was Shinobu Wakamiya, the Queen; throughout her life, she had relied on instinct to get through the day may it be karuta or avoiding her mother. Also, she was very bad at technology.
Well not that bad, she could at least answer and make a call and she found emojis and stickers quite fascinating.
It was around six in the morning and she was dressed up in an oversized black blazer over a frilly white blouse embroidered with Snowmaru patches, a tight black velvet skirt, black leggings and a pair of high heeled black leather boots.
For some reason, she had ended up in front of a river in the middle of who knows where. At this Shinobu grumbled, "I should have asked that old lady for directions". As she was getting older Shinobu tried to be a more social person and try to interact with people without looking like she was gonna put a curse on them, didn't help that she subconsciously does that whenever she plays in a match. Well, at least she's trying.
"I have no choice" she then pulls out her phone with a Snowmaru casing and tries to search her contacts, she only knew a handful of people from Tokyo. First was to appear was, of course, Chihaya Ayase, her longtime rival who weirdly ended up becoming her best friend. The two have mostly bonded over their love of niche mascots and of course karuta.
The last time they saw each other was in a tournament in Osaka where Shinobu won (Chihaya had lost in a luck of draw match earlier in the tournament). She remembered that right after the tournament she and some other girl (was her name Nana? Kana?) ended up going to different food stalls just so Chihaya could forget her embarrassing loss and vowing to win the next one. If she remembered correctly Chihaya was in a local public university that she barely passed into.
Hopefully, she was awake.
Shinobu pressed the call button and placed the phone on her ear. She waited for a few moments until she heard ringing, no response, another ring, again no response, ringing again, that damn girl was probably still asleep.
She tried to call her again, she waited for ten rings yet there was still no answer. "Of course" the girl clenched unto her phone after hanging up "That girl sleeps like a log infested with maggots"
She then went back her contacts, Suo, the Meijin who constantly keeps tabs on her and gives her proposals every time they meet.
Nope, not that guy. Anything but that guy.
Scrolling again. Taichi Mashima, how the heck did she get that guy's number? Was it when they did that TV special back in Osaka? She remembered him for being Suo's not-so-apprentice-apprentice and being captain of the Mizusawa Karuta Club. He was a good player who worked hard yet he couldn't keep up with her during the demonstration. If she remembered correctly him, Chihaya and Arata were childhood friends, what an unlikely yet fitting group of people she pondered. Should she call him tho? It seemed rude and awkward since most of their meetings involved destroying him at karuta. Just how on earth did she get his number?
Speaking of Arata . . . she scrolled through her phone, she actually had his number. Again she didn't remember how this number appeared on her phone, her theory was Chihaya just placed everyone's number and gave out hers to annoy her. Hmm, but wasn't he studying in Tokyo as well?
Before she could do anything droplets started to fall on her screen, at first she blinked, then more droplets started to fall.
Looking up at the sky "I forgot my umbrella again"
The seven-thirty lecture for Sociology and Social Thought was cancelled after the professor had suffered a case of diarrhoea after eating badly cooked Butajiru for dinner. This meant that Arata could catch up on some sleep after he spent the previous evening trying to finish his paper of Early Japanese Studies.
He was already in his second year in university and while he did enjoy the fact that he was close to some of his friends and play karuta he still missed the simple yet laid-back atmosphere Fukui had. Tokyo was just so fast paced and stressful he wondered how Taichi and Chihaya managed to keep up with everything, no wonder Suo tried to talk him out of moving here.
Arata had stopped by a grocery to shop for food after remembering that his fridge was empty, he could just buy instant noodles but the last time his mom visited he got one heck of a scolding.
"I leave you alone for one minute and you've already forgotten how to eat! All you have in your head is karuta, I know it's important to you but you won't last long in a tournament if you keep eating like a hoarder!"
"What?!" he gasped upon looking at the produce section "Wasn't this 20% off last week?"
An elderly woman near him giggled "It seems you missed out on the sale last week dearie"
"You're right" the young man sighed, maybe he should get vegetables when he gets home over the Christmas break.
"Oh, dear looks like it's raining already" the elderly woman commented.
Arata also stared at the window seeing the downpour, for some reason he was reminded of the Individual High School Tournament that happened during his second year. The rain was also this strong with lightning, he was about to get back to debating on buying pork when the elderly woman beside him screamed.
"A SPIRIT!" the woman suddenly latched onto Arata with one hand and the other pointing at the entrance of the store "THERE'S A SPIRIT!"A couple of the shoppers also screamed upon seeing what the old lady was pointing at.
Arata was also looking and indeed right in front of the store with hands holding onto the door, wispy hair and a creepy smile was the so-called spirit.
Didn't something like this happen before as well?
The whole store at this point was in total shock that they didn't know what to do. They got even more frightened when the glass doors opened and the spirit entered the store revealing it to just be a creepy girl who was drenched in the rain.
Both Arata and the elderly woman blinked.
Suddenly the strange girl raised her hand "Can someone . . . tell me where the umbrellas are"
Arata had almost dropped his shopping basket "SHINOBU?!"
The elderly woman gave him a look "You know the spirit?"
"Just like old times huh?" the girl had just gotten out of the shower wearing Arata's hoodie and sweatpants "Did you grow taller?" she said trying to roll up the long sleeves of the hoodie.
The dorm room was a tiny one. There was one worn-out bed on the left side of the room, a desk by the window, a wooden cabinet with several scratches next to the bathroom door and a tiny refrigerator and stove on the right side of the room.
"You're just that tiny" Arata replied while on his desk busy typing something on his laptop. He then turned around to face her "Also what the heck are you doing here in Tokyo?"
Shinobu placed a hand on her chest "Oh my, it seems like I'm not welcome here"
This made the spectacled blush a bit "I was just asking a simple question!"
The girl just smirked and placed her hands on her hips "You really are fun to tease, I only came here cause they're selling an exclusive limited edition Snowmaru bath-set complete with a Daddy Bear toothbrush in here"
"And you lost your way there" he replied in a deadpan tone.
This time it was her turn to blush "Well, it's only my second time here! Last time I was here it was during the Challenger Match!"
Arata checked the clock on the wall "Are you sure you can go out and line-up? The rain is still strong and it'll be a while before your clothes dry up"
With a look of determination on her face ", I think I can still manage, I just need to borrow an umbrella and your shoes"
"I'm pretty sure you're feet are smaller than mine" he argued "And are you sure? What if you caught a cold again?"
"I. WILL. GET. THAT. BATHSET." The girl raised her fist as a dark aura surrounded her "I don't care if I get pneumonia out of it"
The guy blinked, well there was no point arguing with her, what the Queen wants she gets. Why are they always so eccentric?
It was in here that something vibrating could be heard in the room, immediately Shinobu grabbed for her phone that was on top of the cabinet "Hello?"
"SHINOBU?! IS THAT YOU!?" came the loud yell of a certain brunet, it was so loud even Arata couldn't help but flinch.
The black haired girl growled "Yes it's me, now please lower your voice"
"Oh sorry sorry" Chihaya was probably bowing at the phone "I overslept you see that's why I didn't answer hear your call I'm such an idiot"
"Don't worry it's nothing" Shinobu waved her hand "My problem was already settled"
"Ohhh is that so . . . hahaha" Chihaya responded with a nervous laugh "Anyway have you heard the sale? I heard they're selling Snowmaru bath sets in their store tomorrow"
This made Shinobu blink ". . . Tomorrow? I thought it was today?"
"EHHHHH? Wait let me check . . ." a few thuds and crashes were heard "No, it says here on the flier the 25th of November"
Her eye twitching "I see . . . thank you...I guess I came a little too early then"
"Too early? WAIT ARE YOU IN TOKYO RIGHT NOW? WHERE ARE YOU? DOES ANYONE KNOW YOU'RE HERE? DO YOU WANNA HAVE A MATCH LATER?"
Due to irritation from the yelling, the Queen just placed the call on speaker phone and threw it on Arata's bed "Yes I'm in Tokyo, no one knows and if you keep trying to kill my ears I won't let you play a match with me"
"Come on Shinobu I'll promise to lower my voice" Chihaya begged.
Arata was now covering his ears with his hands "If Suo were here he'd probably be on the floor with bleeding ears already"
"Ehh? Was that Arata just now? Are you with him?"
Shinobu sighed "Yeah I'm in his dorm room now" she did a smirk "Jealous?"
"What? I umm, no I'm not! I have no business with ahhh yeah it's really just fine hahaha"
Arata just gave the girl a look.
Still with a mischievous glint in her eye "Well, I'm gonna hang up. Me and Arata over here are gonna do some 'adult fun'" she winked.
"SHINOBU!" the guy yelled his face pure red.
Chihaya, on the other hand, didn't seem to get it "Adult . . . what? Are you gonna play second verse karuta?"
Both Shinobu and Arata did a facepalm "Goodbye Chihaya" and with that, she hung up.
"If Taichi calls me later I'm blaming you" Arata was glaring despite the tint of red on his cheeks.
The girl just rolled her eyes "You're being overdramatic, despite her super hearing and skills and karuta she's as sharp as a dented wooden sword"
He crossed his arms and looked away "I can't argue with that"
"Hmm looks like I'm stuck here till tomorrow" the girl looked around the room and went for the cabinet and started pulling out drawers.
At this Arata stood up "You don't just open a guy's drawer without permission!"
Unnerved by this she replied "You saw my underwear so we're even" she pulled one drawer "Oh so you're a boxers type of person"
"I don't remember . . . I WASN'T EVEN LOOKING THEN!" he then pulled her by the hood away from his underwear drawer "If you're looking for my karuta cards they're at my desk drawer not here!"
Putting on an innocent smile and touching her cheek "Oh is that so? You should have told me earlier" she said in a sweet tone "That was quite clumsy of me"
"Oh don't you put that act on me" Arata slammed his drawers close "You just wanted to see if I was hiding something embarrassing or something"
Still putting on her innocent act "Now why would I do that?" she tilted her head "Do you think I would sink so low to use such dirty tactics just to beat you?"
Crossing his arms "In a Queen match no" he narrowed his eyes at her "But if it's against me"
"Oh you're not that special Arata" she waved her hand "Meijin or not you're still a four-eyed country boy from Fukui"
He mumbled "And you're a hot-blooded Kyoto woman with too much pride"
"Now Arata did I just hear you insult a lady" she gasped in mock shock.
The guy just rolled his eyes and went over his desk to get the cards "So you want a match or not?"
"Don't you have classes to attend to?" Shinobu asked.
Arata checked the time on his laptop "I still got time"
The girl smirked "We'll see about that"
Around two hours later and losing by five cards Arata had rushed out of his dorm room because he was already late for his Philosophy class. This left Shinobu stuck in his dorm room, as soon as he left she realized she had been tired and decided to take a nap on his bed.
Despite being probably a ten-year-old mattress it was surprisingly softer than it looked. As soon as she crashed into the bed the tiredness and fatigue she got from riding the Shinkansen and walking around in the rain started to kick in. Before she knew it she had wrapped herself around in a blanket and was now snuggling the pillow. For some reason, the scent of cheap fabric softener and the sounds of raindrops falling from the rooftop was very calming for her before she knew it she had drifted to sleep.
For some reason, she found herself in front of Omi Jingu and it was the middle of summer, she was dressed in the kimono she wore during her match against the for queen Yumi Yamamoto.
Looking up at the entrance "I'm late for my match"
She then tried to go up the steps toward the temple but every time she went up more steps would be made "What's going . . . ah!" she gasped.
All of a sudden the stone steps started falling down one by one and no matter how hard she ran up the steps kept falling "No! No! I still have a match! I have to play!" she could hear the sounds of the cards calling her name.
"We're waiting, come and join us"
"We feel so lonely out here"
"Don't you wanna play with us anymore?"
"I'm coming! Just wait . . ." just when she thought she reached the top the final stone step fell and she went down with it. She started falling down to earth at an alarming speed and as she fell she could see several karuta cards flying away from her.
She tried to grab a few cards but before she could touch them they would slip away from her fingers. "NO! NO! COME BACK!" she screamed.
It was here when she fell into what seems to be snow. Just when she thought it was over she started rolling down at what seemed to be a mountain. Eventually, she turned into a giant ball of snow by the time she reached the end of the mountain.
When she stopped rolling Shinobu tried to get out of the ball of snow. By the time she did, however, she realized that she had now gained weight.
"Are you looking for this?" a voice behind her spoke.
When she turned around she saw Snowmaru holding a tiny cage with all the karuta cards screaming inside.
"What . . . What are you doing to them!?" Shinobu tried to grab the cage but she immediately stumbled.
The snowman shook his branch finger "You no longer deserve them, they're better off with the Queen"
Lifting her head from the snow "BUT I AM THE QUEEN!"
Suddenly Snowmaru turned into a bear "Not anymore" the bear then tossed away the cage.
"NOOOO!"
All of sudden she could hear murmurs around her
"That's the queen she looks like a spoiled brat"
"You're only just your grandmother's billboard"
"She has no other talent than karuta? Isn't that pathetic"
"If you really are the best why can't you beat Wataya Arata?"
"The reigning queen is a shame to her legacy"
"What's a karuta queen?"
Shinobu closed her eyes and covered her ears "Shut up! Shut up!" she could fell tears fall on her cheeks. "I can't . . . I can't . . . just stop . . ."
"SHINOBU!"
At once she opened her eyes and she was back in the tiny dorm room with Arata shaking her to wake up.
"Oh thank goodness you're awake" he sighed in relief.
Still lying in bed she reached over to her cheek to see it was wet with her tears her throat also felt a little dry "Was . . . it was a dream" she panted.
"I just came back because I left my notes here" Arata was rubbing her back to try and calm her down "I could hear your screaming from down the hallway"
"I just . . ." she closed her eyes "I probably ate some bad sushi in the train earlier"
He gave her a concerned look "Is this about your last Queen match?"
At once she gave him a glare "It's not"
"Are you sure?" he continuing stroking her back "I mean you didn't . . ."
"I have nothing" she muttered.
He stopped his hand "What?"
"I have nothing" she gripped the bedsheets "Aside from karuta there's nothing else I'm good at, I tried looking for another hobby heck I even tried having a part-time job but I always mess up in the end"
"Shinobu!"
"KARUTA'S ALL I HAVE!" she sat up and screamed at his face "If I lose at that then . . . what am I?" she went into a dry chuckle "I'm just some pathetic little rich girl . . ."
At once he grabbed her by the shoulders "Shinobu! You're not pathetic! You're . . ." he paused for a moment thinking for the right words to say. He should have just called Chihaya she's way better at encouragement than he was, he'd rather just add to the encouragement than make it, this was why he never really played in teams. "I know how you feel, I used to think I had nothing but karuta it was the only thing I had that made me feel special and it was the one thing I had with grandpa . . ."
Shinobu sniffled and Arata realized that her snot was probably all over his pillow.
Ignoring that thought he continued "But there's more to you than you think" he tightened his grip on her shoulders "You're the only person I know that's so determined to get a Snowmaru bag that you ate 20 ice cream packs even though you gained weight and the fact that you lost it just amazes me"
"About that" Shinobu rubbed her snotty nose with the jacket sleeve "My mother and grandmother put me on a strict diet after they realized it was hard to fit me in kimonos"
Blinking his eyes "Uhmm well, you have a charming personality that makes TV shows obsessed with putting you into their game shows. You even managed to upstage the Meijin at one point even though the TV special was supposed to be about him in the first place"
The girl snorted "It's actually harder than it looks" she looked down "You have to agree with everything they say, I had to make sure I never say one snarky remark or my image would have been ruined"
"You were honest when it came to karuta"
She looked at him.
Turning away from her "I've never seen a person who's more passionate about the game than you Shinobu, the fact that you were willing to try and be the first professional karuta player is very admirable. You're also willing to take risks to try and get out your comfort zone"
She sighed and closed her eyes "Well I have to" she pressed her head against his chest "It's the only thing I'm good at"
Arata might have seen her cry countless times (usually from the most ridiculous things like missing the Birdman) but this was the first time he'd seen her vulnerable. She had too much of a pride from being queen and had the temper of a Kyoto woman.
"I just . . ." she muttered into his chest "Wanted to see if I could live without my grandmother"
"Huh?" he looked at her.
"Ever since I was a child my mother had been a useless woman" she sighed "As soon as she left my father she used me as a ploy to let her stay with my grandma. When that wasn't enough she forced me to try to find something I was good at just so we could stay at her place. If I didn't just so happen to find those karuta cards in the basement I probably would have been starving at the streets or something"
Arata looked up at the ceiling "Have you ever told this?" he placed a hand behind her back again and patted her "To your grandmother I mean"
"I did, it was because of that my grandmother encouraged me to try and be the first professional karuta player" she sighed "She was the one who told me to accept every tv offer I got, sometimes I wonder if she's just using me as a campaign gimmick"
"I don't think she's that type of person" he gave her a smile "She cares about your well-being"
Immediately Shinobu pushed away from him and sat up "You don't know what the heck you're talking about"
Still keeping his calm smile "I remember during your queen match when you were against Chihaya, Ise-sensei told me he was relieved"
Shinobu raised a brow "What?"
"He told that your grandmother would often express her worries that you didn't have friends" he rubbed the back of his neck "So when he saw how close you and Chihaya were despite battling for the queen title he said he was relieved"
She looked away "I . . . remember him telling me that once . . ."
"You should really cherish the time you have with her" he beamed.
"Not every grandparent was as loving as your grandfather Arata" then laid down on the bed and covered herself in a blanket.
He chuckled "I'm just saying"
She grumbled, "Aren't you late for a class or something?"
Arata stood up "Fine I'll leave you alone" he then went for the door "If you're gonna leave lock the door and leave it with the landlord" and with that he left.
Shinobu started to recite the entirety Hyakunin Isshu before rising up and looking at his desk.
The notebook he had forgotten was still at his desk.
It was the end of the day and Arata had just finished his last class and was checking his phone when he heard someone call his name.
"Arata!" it was Taichi, he was also studying at Tokyo University and it was quite common for them to bump into each other from time to time.
The Fukui native waved his hand and flashed a smile as his friend approached "You're going home?"
"Umm not yet" Taichi brought out his phone "I got a text from Chihaya saying to meet up at the Tokyo Dome Hotel, and she told me to tag you along"
Arata closed his phone "Why didn't she text me herself?"
"Cause you hardly reply anyway" the brunet waved his hand dismissively "Come on, she probably wants us to have dinner together or something"
"I see . . ." he seemed a little hesitant "It's just I got . . . something to do"
Placing his hands on his pockets "You got a paper due?" Taichi asked.
"Something like that" Arata said giving his usual calm smile.
"We rarely see Chihaya so might as well hold that for now" Taichi looked up at the sky that was slowly turning dark "Besides it's been a while since we went out for drinks"
Arata rubbed the side of his cheek "Well there's a reason for that"
It was in here Taichi remembered "Oh shoot, let's hope we're just having dinner"
"And why are we eating in a hotel?" Arata adjusted his bag strap "I mean ramen from nearby would be enough for her"
Taichi did a face-palm "Don't tell me she wants us to have sushi and she's expecting me to pay?"
The raven-head did a chuckle "I won't be surprised if she used up her sponsor money of Daddy Bear products"
"Daddy Bear should just sponsor her already" the medical student groaned "But then again they don't sponsor Shinobu"
Arata stopped walking for a moment "Yeah . . ."
Taichi noticed this and also stopped walking "Is something wrong?" he asked facing him.
"Oh no, it's nothing" Arata smiled and waved his hand "Just got pretty tired, I had around seven lectures today"
"I see" Taichi looked away "Can I ask you a question?"
"Umm sure," Arata said taken aback.
"Do you still have feelings for Chihaya?"
Arata was silent for a moment before he replied "She's a dear friend, of course, I care about her"
"You know what I mean" Taichi was staring at the floor "I . . . seem to get over her for some reason"
The raven head looked at his friend, who was also his rival "You know Shinobu's in Tokyo" he said out of nowhere.
This time Taichi gave him a confused and surprised look "What?"
"Wow you can see the Tokyo Dome!" Chihaya gasped in awe as she looked at the view from the top floor restaurant they were in.
Shinobu was also looking at the view but her mind was elsewhere. She was wondering why the hell she showed her vulnerable side to Arata of all people. She was the queen she was supposed to show that she was a goddess; she was the woman everyone in the karuta world feared. Then again the only person who was unfazed by her just happened to be that damn bastard.
"Shinobu-chan" the queen got disrupted by her thoughts by Chihaya "Are you staying in this hotel for the night?"
"Umm, I'm not" she replied with her usual 'cheery' demeanour "I don't have the money for a hotel"
At once Chihaya's face went pale "So . . . we're paying our own dinner?"
"Let me guess" someone placed a hand on Chihaya's shoulder "You're gonna ask me to pay for you?"
The brunette immediately pulled Taichi's hand "Please! If I spend all my money today I won't have enough for the sale tomorrow"
"Why did you guys then pick a hotel restaurant then!?" Taichi groaned.
It was in here where Chihaya realized that Arata was behind him "Oh Arata" she smiled "I'm glad you made it"
The glasses man nodded before turning to the other girl across her "You know you could have just texted" he also noted that she had changed back to her clothes.
Shinobu was staring at the glass window refusing to face him "Well you're here either way"
"I guess so" much to her irritation he decided to take a seat next to her and had the audacity to still keep that annoyingly calm smile that she grew to hate "So what are we having?"
"Are we seriously eating here?" Taichi sighed and took a seat and faced Chihaya "But I'm giving you the cheapest thing on the menu"
The said girl looked offended "What are you gonna give me water?"
Taichi gave a cheeky smile "Oh you're making things much easier, that one's free"
"EHHHHHH?"
While the two former Mizusawa members debating Arata just kept his calm demeanour while Shinobu was frowning at the view.
"This reminds me when we were kids" Arata chuckled.
Shinobu looked at him from the corner of her eye "You forgot your notebook this morning"
"Indeed I did"
The Kyoto girl leaned back against her seat "You don't have to worry about paying it's my treat"
As soon as she said that both Chihaya and Taichi looked at her and at the same time said "WHAT? REAALLLY?"
Shinobu shrugged "Yeah, I don't care"
Immediately Chihaya grabbed the girl's hands "Thank you! Thank you! Don't worry I'll make up for it by waking up really early tomorrow so we can find a spot in the line tomorrow!"
"Geez Chihaya, get your priorities straight will you" Taichi sighed for the umpteenth time but eventually broke into a smile.
Arata noticed this as well. It was really nice to be together with friends, he looked at the girl next to him and even she couldn't resist Chihaya's charm. It was strange if it weren't for Hyakunin Isshu they wouldn't be here today. If it weren't for karuta Taichi would probably be still under the pressure to be good at everything. If it weren't for karuta Chihaya would still be chasing after her sister's dreams instead of her own. If it weren't for karuta Shinobu would be a lonely girl left with her uncaring mother and never having any friends.
If it weren't for karuta Arata wouldn't have met them all.
"Do you guys wanna play a match?"
After dinner and three rounds Taichi had found himself carrying a mostly knocked out Chihaya on his back. It doesn't help that she was heavy and drooling over the pricy coat his mother had bought him.
"I keep forgetting Chihaya is terrible at alcohol," Shinobu said as they were about to on their separate ways outside of the hotel.
"I'm pretty sure you do and you just wanted her to mess with us, you even brought cards with you!" Taichi shivered upon remembering how Chihaya hit 'aki no ta no' and 'yura no to wo' at another customer and the bartender respectively.
Shinobu did an innocent smile and touched the side of her cheek "Well it was Arata who suggested we play"
Trying to shift the topic, even though Arata knew it was still Shinobu's fault, he asked "So where are you staying then? Checked in a hotel or . . ."
As though it were the most casual thing the queen turned to him "Well I told you this morning I was staying with you"
"Huh?" Arata asked in confusion.
All of a sudden Chihaya woke up from her drunken stupor "Ah yeeeaaah, I remembah dat ya wer gonna do sum adle things dis mornin'!" she pointed at Arata and Shinobu before falling asleep again.
Immediately all three parties couldn't help but blush in silence.
Taichi broke the silence with a simple question "Is there something going . . ."
"We were playing second verse karuta" Shinobu replied smoothly before grabbing Arata's arm "Well it was nice seeing you two make sure you get Chihaya-chan home safely" she waved before tugging the tall guy into traffic.
Taichi just blinked and waved back before turning around and muttering "Why are people in karuta so eccentric"
The walk to his dorm was a quiet one. As soon as they crossed the street she had already let go of him and she was now walking ahead of him at a distance. The two of them weren't that drunk. Arata just had one glass and spent most of the evening helping Taichi keeping Chihaya on check. He didn't know how many drinks Shinobu had but so far she doesn't look that drunk.
By the time they had reached his apartment building, Arata had gotten less curious and more concerned on what was going through the Queen's head.
"Oi Wataya you're back" called out one of his dorm mates who just happened to be in the room next to his. He was a year older than him and he looked like a member of the yakuza because of his large built several tattoos and very scary looking face.
Seeing as Shinobu passed by him and went straight for Arata's room meant that she wasn't fazed by the terrifying looking man. Then again so was Arata though he had the decency to say hi "Good evening Morikawa-senpai" he waved
The large man rubbed his chin "That's a cute girl you have there, too bad she has an intimidating aura around her"
"Umm" Arata raised a hand "She isn't my girlfriend, she's just a friend staying over"
"Is that so" Morikawa rubbed his chin "Did you just go out for drinks?"
"Yeah, it was her treat" for some reason he started to feel uncomfortable.
The big man rubbed his chin "It's not really a good idea for a drunk man and woman to stay in the same room, even if you are good friends"
This made the glasses man blush "Don't worry nothing of that sort is going to happen" he waved his hands.
"Well I guess you aren't the type" he then saluted his kohai "I'm just saying Wataya it's for your own good"
Arata nodded "I'll keep that in mind" and with that, he entered his dorm. As soon as he entered his room he was greeted by Shinobu who was seated on the floor counting cards by their names. "Do you need a glass of water or something?" he asked.
Not looking away from her cards "I'm good thanks" she replied.
"I'm gonna go find a futon then," he said then went for the closet to see if there was an extra the old owner had left.
Stacking the cards carefully into the box Shinobu said "I don't mind if we sleep on the same bed, its big enough for two"
Arata had almost stumbled to the ground "Wait . . . what?!"
Standing up and carrying the box "I said I don't mind, it's not that of a big deal"
"It is a big deal" Arata scolded her "You're a woman don't you have a shred of modesty or something?"
Instead of being insulted she smirked "So you do see me as a woman"
Straightening his back and facing her "Tell me, why did you choose to sleep here than over at Chihaya's or in a hotel room"
"I used up the money on treating you guys" she went over to his desk and sat on his chair as she hid the cards "And it would seem rude if I went to Chihaya's place with their drunk daughter they'd think I'm a bad influence. I have an image to keep"
Crossing his arms "Do you see me as a man then Shinobu?"
Putting her hands on her lap and spinning the chair to face him "Of course I do, you are the Meijin after all"
He let out a deep sigh "That has nothing to with that"
She cocked her head "What if I told you I was attracted to you?"
Keeping a passive face "How many drinks have you had"
"Five, answer the question"
"Five?" he raised a brow "How can you still walk?"
"Karuta has a lot of benefits for the mind, endurance is one of them"
" . . . You never cease to confuse me"
She gave off a smile "You seem to take my confession quite calmly"
Arata went over to her and held her shoulders "I think you need to sleep"
"Are you going to join me?"
"Nope"
"Why not?"
"Because I said so"
"That's quite rude of you rejecting the advances of a lady"
"Aren't you supposed to wake up early to line up for a Snowmaru bathset?"
Shinobu placed a finger under her chin actually contemplating "I doubt Chihaya is gonna get up early tomorrow"
"Exactly"
She smirked then zoomed her face closer to his "But teasing you seems more fun in the long run"
He pulled away from her and stood up straight "I'm gonna take a shower, don't do anything weird"
As he retreated for the bathroom she pouted "Coward" she crossed her arms and looked up at the ceiling "I wasn't lying about being attracted to you though" she whispered to herself.
Refreshed from the shower and now wearing a grey shirt and green jogging pants with a towel around his neck he entered his room "Do you wanna shower?" he asked while putting on his glasses.
Instead, he found on his bed still wearing her black skirt and stockings sleeping on his bed while hugging a pillow. As he went closer to her he noticed how completely different she looked like when she was asleep. She always had a look on her face that said 'I-will-crush-you' that brought fear to anyone who saw her, he usually thought of it as just cockiness and pride. If it weren't for that attitude of hers Arata himself would admit that she was cute.
He decided not to mess with her sleep and leave her alone but as he was about to leave a hand grabbed onto his.
Still, with her back against him, she whispered something he couldn't hear properly.
"Could you repeat that?" he asked moving closer to her with his knee resting on the mattress.
She faced him and for once she actually looked quite . . . sincere "I don't wanna be alone anymore," she said.
He really can't understand her sometimes. Sure he can endure her eccentricities and her death threats against him, but he had to admit there are things about Shinobu that just made her an enigma. He might not know a lot, but what he knew was enough.
Giving her a smile "Okay"
After all he can never say no to the Queen.
I binged watched the entire anime in two days and read the manga in one day. I don't particularly have any solid ships I just like Shinobu's character in general. I don't care who gets Chihaya in the end I just wanna see my boy Arata get the Meijin title XD